Specialist Radio Programming Grant Program (Australia)

Deadline: 4-Mar-25

The Community Broadcasting Foundation is currently accepting applications for its Specialist Radio Programming Grant Program to assists with the development, production and broadcast costs of specialist radio programming content to meet the needs of particular communities.

Objectives

The objectives of the Specialist Radio Programming grants are to support community media organisations to:
- Increase the diversity of voices and languages in community media
- Increase community participation in community media
- Engage with, connect to and reflect their community
- Ensure diverse communities have access to information, cultural and local content that enriches their communities

Types of Programs

First Nations Specialist Radio programs:
- A First Nations Australian program broadcast on a non-Indigenous licensed station must be produced and presented by First Nations people or groups. Funding from the First Nations Community Broadcasting Fund in this grant program cannot be allocated to a program that is produced and presented by non-First Nations people.
- A First Nations Australian program broadcast on an Indigenous licensed station must be produced and presented by a First Nations person or group and, due to the limited funding available, must include 50% Indigenous language content and/or content produced and distributed within a remote Indigenous community.
Ethnic Specialist Radio programs:
- An Ethnic program must be produced and presented by a person or group of people broadcasting to a deﬁned local ethnic community which has input into the content of the program. The program’s spoken language must be at least 50% in a language other than English except where English is the native or common language of the cultural community (e.g. Irish, Indian) or where the program is produced and presented by people under the age of 30. Spoken word content must be no more than 25% religious.
- A Multicultural program must be produced by a group of at least 3 broadcasters from diﬀering language/cultural backgrounds and address issues of multiculturalism, identity, settlement, etc. It can be in any language.
Radio Reading Specialist Radio programs:
- A Radio Reading program must conform with Standards for RPH Programming on Community Radio.
  - Sponsorship announcements, music, standard news bulletins such as National Radio News (NRN), and other items not speciﬁc to the needs of people with a print disability do not qualify as radio reading content
  - All printed items shall be read in full. Material shall be presented with an appropriate identiﬁcation of: the publication, edition, date of publication, page number and author’s name. In no circumstances shall the text be varied, or any editorial comment be oﬀered in relation to an item.

Eligible Costs

Costs relating directly to program production and community/broadcaster engagement may include:
- Small Equipment Costs
- Items may include:
  - Storage devices (portable recorders, hard drives)
  - Remote broadcasting equipment
  - Microphones, headphones, etc
  - Quotes for items valued over $1,000 are required
  - Program materials
  - Reference materials and news sources (Spotify and Youtube subscriptions are not eligible as these licenses are for personal use only)
- Program Specific Costs
  - Reference materials and news sources (Spotify and Youtube subscriptions are not eligible as these licenses are for personal use only)
  - Music (Spotify and Youtube subscriptions are not eligible as these licenses are for personal use only)
  - Broadcaster personal expenses related to program delivery including phone/internet costs, localised travel expenses
  - Program marketing
- Program website costs
  - Outside broadcasts and special broadcasting events
  - Program speciﬁc training/mentoring: non-accredited training support, additional program supervision, buddy systems for new broadcasters
  - Program development costs for new specialist programs including community consultation, engaging producers/presenters, program set up costs, program costs
  - First Nations Australian program wages for First Nations Australian producers and presenters only
- Community/Broadcaster Engagement Costs
  - Conference attendance including registration, travel and accommodation (e.g. NEMBC)
  - Broadcasters meeting expenses
  - Administration/consultation fees for the station

Ineligible Costs

You cannot use the grant for other costs that don’t relate to the production of the specialist program, including:
- Operational costs, subsidies for station salary positions, other training or equipment not related to the program, which can be applied for as part of the station’s Development & Operations grant application
- Content production costs more appropriately applied for as a Content grant application
- Spotify and Youtube subscriptions as these licenses are for personal use only and their content cannot be publicly broadcast
- Overseas travel
- Payment of membership fees
- Access/airtime fees imposed by the station
- Costs incurred prior to 1 July 2025
- Station costs that could be met by its in-kind contribution, such as studio hire fees and admin staﬀ work time
- Contingency costs
- Sponsorship production

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible organisations include:
- A community radio station
- A Remote Indigenous Media Organisation or Remote Indigenous Broadcasting Service
- Incorporated not-for-proﬁt organisations auspicing applications for program groups broadcast on a community radio station

Ineligibility Criteria

The following organisations or individuals are not eligible to apply:
- Applicants seeking support for TV content. You should apply for programming support using the Content Grants form
- RPH licensed stations. RPH stations may apply for funding support through Content grants and Development & Operations grants
- A community radio station broadcasting radio reading programs within the broadcast ‘footprint’ of an existing radio reading (RPH) service, unless that service does not broadcast any local content

Assessment Criteria

Specialist Radio Programming applications are not competitively assessed. Applications that meet the following criteria will receive support:
- Eligible program – your Summary of Programs form is updated to confirm your program is eligible for funding and appropriate consultation has taken place as deﬁned above.
- Objective – your program contributes to the ongoing maintenance and development of either Radio Reading, Ethnic or First Nations Australians community broadcasting
- Completeness – the information you have provided including attachments listed on the application form is suﬃcient for the committee to assess your application
- Previous reporting – you have met all reporting requirements for previous CBF grants
- Budget – the budget items requested are considered reasonable in comparison with your previous requests, requests from other applicants in this grant round and funds available. The approved budget section of your Grant Agreement may vary from your application request.

Application Requirements

Applicants must meet with Specialist broadcasters (either in person or via phone or video) to ensure:
- Broadcasters are suﬃciently supported by stations and incorporated organisations to provide interesting and relevant content for local communities.
- Broadcasters and station representatives have an opportunity to discuss any issues and include specialist programmers in the overall station community.
- Everybody understands and commits to the grant guidelines requirements for Specialist Radio Programming support throughout the funding period.
- Everybody understands and agrees to the funded items requested.
- Everybody is aware of their grant expenditure record keeping requirements.

For more information, visit CBF.